State
Bird
Cardinal
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Cardinals
are found throughout the eastern half of North America and do not
migrate. They are about 7 to 9 inches long. The male Cardinal has
bright red plumage. The male's colors are very bold while the female
is beautiful, but doesn't stand out as much as the male. The female
Cardinal has a reddish color on its wings, tail, and crest. She has
a brownish back and light brown underparts. Both the male and female
have black feathers above their sharp beaks. They can raise or lower
their pointed crests when they want to. The Cardinal was adopted as
Kentucky's state bird in 1926. It is also the state bird of Illinois,
Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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State
Flower
Goldenrod
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Goldenrod
is native to Kentucky. It is a weedy herb that blooms in late summer.
The yellow flowers grow in clusters on a stem that can range from
one to eight feet in height. Some species are fragrant, and bees
use its nectar to make honey. Goldenrod was adopted as Kentucky's
state flower in 1926. It is also the state flower of Nebraska.
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State
Tree
Tulip-poplar
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The
Yellow Poplar is also called the Tulip Poplar. It is found in eastern
North America and usually grows up to 100 feet in the wild, but it
can reach 200 feet in size. The flowers are beautiful but are high
in the tree, which makes them hard to see. The flowers look like tulips.
They have greenish-yellow petals, and their insides are an orange
color. The bark is brownish-gray, and the wood is used for lumber.
The wide leaves of this tree turn yellow in the fall. The Yellow Poplar
was adopted as Kentucky's state tree in 1994.
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State Flag
Click
on flag to view
larger image.
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The
state flag of Kentucky has a navy blue background with the state seal
and the words "Commonwealth of Kentucky" over it. Commonwealth is
another name for state. A wreath of Goldenrod (the state flower) is
placed in a half circle around the picture as a decoration. On the
seal is the motto of Kentucky: "United
We Stand; Divided We Fall." On the seal we see a pioneer and a statesman
(which represent all people) shaking hands. They are acting out the
meaning of the state motto. Since Kentucky was the first western or
pioneer state to enter the United States, the two men on the seal
might represent the pioneers and the older states of the East Coast.
The motto could mean that both parts of the country need each other
to survive. The two men might also be acting out a popular song from
the Revolutionary War period that contained
the words of the state motto. Both of these ideas show that unity
and brotherhood were important to the people of Kentucky. During the
Civil War Kentucky was expected to secede
from the United States. Instead the state showed its belief in unity
by not seceding from (or leaving) the United States even though other
nearby states did. The Kentucky flag was designed by David Humphries
in 1793. It was adapted in 1918 and was amended in 1928 and 1962.
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